Silver Linings
by TheAmazingSwolfie
Summary: Fane's life was simple, in his opinion. He had one goal, and nothing would distract him from it. Well, until an angel girl, a stripper, and a hero walked into his life. Now everything was complicated... But hopefully he would learn to live this new life as he went along. (Next generation fic)
1. Chapter 1 - The Scavenger and the Angel

**Chapter 1 - The Scavenger and the Angel**

Too jagged. Burnt to a crisp. Full of holes. Twisted beyond repair. Too- Hm? Wait, maybe that one could-

 _ **Snap!**_

...too fragile.

I sighed as I tossed the remains of some battered household appliance back into the scrap heap I plucked it from. To be honest, I wasn't even sure what it was. Some kind of stand or holder for something, if I had to guess. Or at least that's what I had in mind for it. The best part of a junkyard was that it honestly didn't matter what something was supposed to be when I found it; I had the potential to change it into something entirely new. I just wished that there weren't so many sharp things to pick through in the piles of potential treasure. I was running out of clean enough rags to dress the cuts with, and I couldn't waste the few bandages I actually did have. Well, I could always find some more rags out here. Though I'd probably get more cuts in the process. I frowned a little at that thought. Well, no system was perfect.

"Shouldn't be wasting time on trinkets anyway..." I muttered to myself. Income was low for the month, so I really shouldn't bother with every random piece of scrap that caught my attention. But that busted magic-mobile did show some real potential... No! Snap out of it! I had to actually shake my head to snap back to reality. Magic-mobiles were irrelevant. The power source came from the driver, and the one I found lacked a conversion lacrima. The only purpose it could really serve me was a source of temporary shelter, and I already had that covered. Plus, the upholstery was so damaged I'd sleep better on the ground, anyway. Suddenly, a bright, silver glimmer caught my eye from a particularly unstable junk pile to my left. That was an odd color amongst all of the browns, blacks, and oranges surrounding me in the junkyard.

Curious, I tried to maneuver my arm in a way so that it wouldn't get shredded to bits by the surrounding scrap metal, and managed to pluck out the shiny object in question. Fortunately I was practically as thin as a twig, and a rather tall height. Perfect traits for grabbing these hard to reach objects. My prize was a hubcap that probably once belonged to that abandoned magic-mobile. It was dented and stained, but still had enough sheen to show my reflection. Though I did have to turn it from the setting sun to keep it from burning my eyes.

I didn't look very... "presentable," I believed the word was. I guess that explained why I was shooed away the last time I went into town. My light brown hair was unkempt and sticking out to the sides so ridiculously, it almost looked more like brown wings instead of hair. My face and hands had a good amount of dirt covering them from my scavenging, the black mess partly covering up the light tan I had from all of my time outside. Not that that was easy to see, either, with the clothes I wore. I currently wore a gray shirt under a pair of denim overalls, and my arms were covered in bandages that _used_ to be white, and were now the same color as my hair. (I should probably change those, soon...) At least they weren't as dark as the chocolate brown backpack I strapped around my shoulder. And I almost lost my eyes in the reflection, having the same steely color as the metal I was staring at. This was pretty good for a mirror. I wondered if there were any applications for it with my spellbook? Maybe some kind of reflection curse? Or could it substitute for a communications lacrima? Oh, that actually had some potential... I probably had a page on some old-fashioned form of scrying that could work.

I set the hubcap down and grabbed my "broken" light pen from where it was tucked behind my ear. People really just threw out anything these days. Not that I was complaining. I was about to write down a reminder for myself when I heard a disturbing creak that sounded suspiciously like metal grinding on metal. My shoulders slumped in defeat before I slowly looked up at the pile I had just received my latest find from. And sure enough, it was ever-so-slightly beginning to tip towards me. Sighing, I grabbed the hubcap and dashed away as fast as I could with bare feet on the scrap-coated earth. It wasn't the junk pile that I had to be wary of. It was what would come in the aftermath. I did _not_ want a repeat encounter with Miike. And the crash that pile would make would undoubtedly draw him.

This was essentially my life for the past 2 months. Scavenge, flee, repair, sell, repeat. It's been a good gig, for now, but I would probably have to move on soon. The owner of the junkyard was getting tired of Miike not being able to catch me, and the local town was a little too upscaled to be able to sell my goods effectively. Hopefully the next town I found would have a goldmine as great as this dump; the people in town were so well off, they just trashed their belongings without a care in the world, even if it could be fixed with the simplest of repairs. Hmm... Maybe I should take a week to focus on scavenging, then take my leave with my materials? Then maybe I could sell them to the next town I find. They'd probably be better about buying wares from a "travelling salesman" than a "homeless brat" that's creeping around their junkyard. Although, I wasn't sure if "homeless" applied to me when I would have a static hideout whenever I moved somewhere. Oh well. People did enjoy their labels.

"Wah!" a light, female voice called out. Then, suddenly, I found myself on the ground in a tangle of limbs. Ow... I really needed to pay more attention during my escapes... Though I usually didn't have to worry about anyone but the Boss and Miike, so- "Hey! Would you mind getting off? The dirt's starting to get into my hair..." the female voice whined. Right. Stranger. Can't keep drifting off like that. I managed to untangle myself as quickly as possible, then helped the girl up before starting up my jog again. "H-hey! Wait up!" the girl called out. Curious, I turned around to look at her and started walking backwards. The girl was starting to follow me. That was weird. Actually... She looked kind of weird, too. Mostly because everything about her contrasted with the brown, orange, and gray waste surrounding her. To be honest, in comparison to the scenery, she was... Angelic. Her skin was rather pale, and smooth looking. Not coated in dirt and grime, like mine. Her clothes were spotless, as well, despite the fall she just took. She wore a pair of black sandals, which was odd for trekking through a junkyard. She wore a frilly white dress with yellow trimming, and a pale yellow ribbon around her neck. She was practically glowing in comparison to the scrap and junk... And her hair... It only added to her angelic appearance. It wasn't blonde, or silver, but somewhere in between... Like she couldn't decide between the two colors, so she chose to be both. She had put it up into a low ponytail, which was still wavy as it fell to the small of her back. And that headband she wore... It was black, with two white wings poking out to the side on each end of her head. If her hair covered the band, I'd likely have actually mistaken her for an angel. It was only when our eyes met that I could note even one dark thing about her; her eye color. Onyx. I hadn't noticed that I stopped walking until she caught up with me.

"Sorry about that... I've been told I'm a bit of a klutz, so I wasn't really looking where I was going! And I didn't really expect to see anyone else here, so yeah... Sorry!" she apologized, an embarrassed smile on her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. I tilted my head in confusion. Why?

"...s'okay," I mumbled. "Don't be sorry. I did the same." With that said, I turned around, starting my trek back to my hideout. Well that was interesting.

"Wha- Hold on a second!" the girl cried out. Again? I actually stopped this time as I turned around. In her hands, she held the same hubcap I had been carrying earlier. "You dropped this when you crashed into me back there," she explained. Oh. Right. That was why I tried writing that reminder before...

"Thank you," I nodded, taking the item in question. I nearly turned around again, but a flash of red forced me to take another look at the angel. I leaned in to get a better look. Blood. She probably cut her arm during the fall. "You're bleeding," I pointed out. The angel girl blinked in surprise before looking at the injury in question.

"Oh, guess I am. Ah, well, it happens," she shrugged. That was when I knew this girl definitely didn't belong here. I sighed, then took her hand as I once again began my walk home. "What the- would you stop with the randomly walking off thing!? It's getting kind of annoying! And where are you taking me!?" the girl questioned. She was a little... What was the word? Fussy? No, not fussy... Uppity? I think that was it.

"It's not random, I'm sorry for annoying you, and I'm taking you to my shelter. If you get a cut in a dirty place, there's a good chance it'll be infected. It would be best to clean that up as fast as we can," I explained. The girl's ranting calmed down, though she still occasionally grumbled about "moody strangers in junkyards." Oh, maybe she ran into the Boss earlier? That description fits him rather well.

After just a few more minutes of walking (during which, thankfully, the girl quieted down), we arrived at my shelter. An abandoned shipping container that probably belonged to a train, once. The red paint chipping off the sides meant it was probably here for a while before I claimed it. The girl looked curious when I stopped, but didn't say anything. "Wait here," I instructed, before heading inside. That was met with some more grumbling, but I began to tune it out as I entered. I would invite her in, but... Actually, I wasn't sure why I wanted to keep her out. Maybe because it was _my_ space? Eh. I'd probably figure it out later.

There really wasn't much in the container. There were a few misshapen shelves I made by precariously balancing plates of metal between some grates, but nothing's fallen yet, so I was fine with them. The shelves took up most of the right wall, and had an assortment of "broken" lacrima crystals, scraps of metal, and assorted odds and ends resting on them. I mindlessly set the hubcap down by a shelf with my backpack, and started searching for my "emergency" bag. Honestly, I should've been keeping clean bandages on my person, but there was always the possibility that scrap metal could shred them in the bag, so-

"What is this place?" the angel girl asked behind me. I couldn't help but sigh. Was her interrupting my thoughts going to become a thing? Plus, didn't I _just_ tell her to wait outside? Then again, it was starting to get dark out... And with Miike on the loose nearby, it would probably be safer if we waited in here.

"Workshop," I muttered, still trying to find that stupid bag. Let's see... Last time I got hurt badly was that last fight with Miike... That was the gash in my leg, so I was sitting... There. I smiled in triumph as I found the bag in question. I turned to the angel girl, and held up the bag. "I can patch you up. Can you sit on the table?" I asked, nodding towards the only piece of furniture in here, aside from the shelves. A small table that was honestly in perfect condition, aside from the chipping brown paint. Rich people were pretty dumb to let that go to waste.

"Wow. I think that's the most sense you've made this whole time," the girl said in a deadpan tone, though she did follow my request. I dropped my eyes, a little embarrassed.

"Sorry. Don't like talking much," I mumbled, hoping that she wouldn't ask me to repeat it. Growing up alone doesn't exactly make you very... sociable. Especially when most people you meet just want to shoo you away. I moved to grab bandages out of my bag when she spoke.

"You don't have to be sorry. You're helping me, even though I haven't really done anything but whine and interrupt you. So, I'm sorry. I haven't exactly had the best week, so I guess I'm a little out of sorts," she explained. What?

"You don't have to apologize either," I countered. "I hurt you, so I should help you. That's all." I took her arm in my hands to get a better look at the cut. It wasn't too deep, but it ran a good length up her forearm. Thin wrappings, but covering a good area, then. With that in mind, I cut some of the bandages from the roll I had, and grabbed a spare bottle of water to pour over the cut. "This is all I have to clean it. You'll need to unwrap and clean it better later," I advised as I started cleaning the wound. I finally started to grow comfortable again as the silence began to settle. This girl was making me anxious, for some reason. Probably the same reason I don't like talking. I've been alone for about a decade, now. It's hard to adjust to someone just... being there.

"So, how come you've got this little workshop here?" she asked. And there went the comfortable silence. I tried to come up with an answer that would satisfy her, but she just continued to fill the silence herself. "Are those all little projects of yours? Are you an inventor? Or do you just like making things? Do you think you could make yourself some shoes? It's not safe to walk in a junkyard barefoot, you know-"

"Done," I said, finished wrapping her arm. And, thankfully, that put a stop to her babbling. But... It was impolite to leave questions unanswered, wasn't it? "Um... I build things here. Yes. Kind of. Yes. Maybe. And I know," I answered, after taking a second to think back through all of her chattering. Her voice was sweet, but too much of a good thing could become a bad thing. She just looked at me and blinked, as though trying to figure out what I said, before a big lightbulb seemed to flash over her head, and she got a huge smile.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't realize I was babbling so much... I just get kind of anxious when it's all silent like that, so I needed some noise. And I'm kind of a curious gal, so I just have loads and loads of questions swimming around in my head at all times. You don't have to answer me, though! I mean you just said you didn't like talking and all, and-" she spoke, until she suddenly clammed up, and blushed a bit. "And I was doing it again, wasn't I?" she asked. I just nodded, while she sighed and dropped her head. "Sorry." ...I didn't want her to feel bad about talking just because I did. I just wasn't used to it. But if I told her that, she might feel bad for me, which could make her feel worse. Maybe I should just... talk? But about what? Uh...

"You apologize a lot," I pointed out. At that, she looked up with a confused expression. "I mean, a _lot_ ," I emphasized. She looked even more bewildered for a second, and I was scared I made her feel worse (why did I point out a _flaw_ to make her feel better!? Stupid!), but she started chuckling to herself. She's smiling again. Good.

"Yeah, I do that a lot. My parents said it's because I care about other people so much. I think it's just because I'm too big a klutz," she says good-naturedly. At least she seemed to bounce back pretty easily. That was good. But... How did I get her to leave? She was still kind of just sitting there and smiling. But I wanted to rest, and she needed to get somewhere to clean that cut. Well, only one way I guess.

"You need to leave," I pointed out. Her smile instantly dropped at that. Crap crap crap- "T-to clean out your wound. I told you, it could still get infected." She still had that frown. Please stop frowning. "A-and it won't be safe out there for long. There's a huge guard dog. Miike. You should leave before he finds us." She seemed to understand. But that frown was still there. Why? I told her accurate reasons that weren't any fault of her own. So why was she still sad about it?

"I understand. Thank you for helping me," she said, a smile finally gracing that face of hers. But there was something weird about it. Smiles were supposed to mean you were happy. So why didn't she sound happy? I almost asked her myself, but I couldn't find the words. What if I just ended up making things worse, somehow? And just like that, the girl was gone. She left, just like I told her to. Why did I feel so bad about it?

Shaking my head, I rummaged through the backpack I left on the ground, hoping that I at least managed to grab _something_ useful today. Some parts, odds and ends, maybe some lacrima... Those things made sense to me. More than that girl did, at least. What was she even doing in this junkyard, anyway? She was dressed too well to be a scavenger, and she didn't have the same accent as the townspeople. So why was she here? Well, she's not here anymore. I chased her off. I sighed as I shook my head, trying to get rid of those annoying thoughts. What was one more person on the pile, anyway? Instead, I started focusing on the bits and bobs I organized on the shelves, until that silver hubcap caught my eye. Right, that was all I had to show for the day... Didn't I have some kind of idea for it? Something with pictures? Or an image? Hmm...

I set the hubcap on the wooden table, and dug through my pack for the one valuable item I had on me; my book. It was bound in dark brown leather, with a strap attaching to a lock on the front. Though, it wasn't like any key could actually open it. I broke that thing ages ago. No, I managed to work a locksmith enchantment that allowed it to open at my touch. I let my finger rest on the lock for a second, until the book started to flutter open, finally resting at where I last placed my bookmark. At first glance, the book wasn't much. Maybe something akin to a scrapbook a child would make; all of the pages were uneven, and some were ripped, while others were simply sections of a page glued onto a blank paper. Odder still were the multitude of languages. And I didn't even know the name for most of them, or even what the majority of them were saying. Really, I should only need the triggering phrases for the magic I would like to use, but the enchantments on those pages wouldn't work without the whole passage, so it was necessary.

Frowning in concentration, I once again took my light pen from behind my ear, and wrote the words "reflection" and "images" in the air before me, so I wouldn't forget what I was looking for. And to use as a kind of light source to read with, now that the sun had fully set. Then, I set to work.

The book wasn't organized in any sense of the word; of course it wouldn't be, when someone like me was making it. None of it was original material, just pages torn from books in old libraries, used book sales, or the occasional rare book thrown in the trash. But there was one common theme: every page was a spell I could cast. Most were mediocre, like a sleep aid, or releasing a sweet scent. Both useful in this area. There were a few that guild wizards would probably find more useful, like conjuring a small ball of light, or recording a message. (I'd probably be using that light ball now, myself, if I could find the darned page.) My book was mostly made of the former, since people tended to find those spells useless, and don't mind if they're gone. But I specialized in finding new purpose in "broken" or "useless" things. You'd be surprised at the amount of utility these mundane spells of mine had. The only issue was actually finding the spell you needed at the time. More often than not, I wound up getting creative with the first applicable spell I could find, and hoped for the best. I _really_ needed to organize this thing. Maybe I could find some ribbon to mark off the most used spells? But they could get all tangled... And how would I know which ribbon marked which spell? I suppose I could use that page on colors magic, but that didn't solve-

 **Thud thud! Thud thud! Thud thud! Thud thud!**

I froze at the loud crashes coming outside my shelter. Mad Dog Miike was out and about. And by the sound of it, he found prey to chase. But... The sounds weren't getting any closer. So he hadn't uncovered my shelter yet. But if he wasn't chasing me, then what else was even in the junk...yard...

...oh no.

The angel girl.

* * *

 **Author's Note - So, hey. I actually uploaded a story! So that's a thing! Sorry to anybody that was initially excited over my first story, but I had reasons, both personal and relating to the story, that I didn't continue it. I have plans to reboot it, though likely not until I'm a good chunk into this story. Speaking of which! Like the summary says, this is a next gen story, so this takes place about 22 years after the story of Fairy Tail ends. Any guesses on who the "angel girl, stripper, and hero" are? Well, the stripper is kind of obvious...  
I'm honestly excited for this story mostly because of how I get to write the MC. His thought process at first is going to be weird, maybe a little off, especially for a main character, who's supposed to have it all together. But that's kind of what makes Fane, Fane. (And yes, I know I didn't state his name this chapter. Introductions between him and "the angel girl" will be in Ch. 2, since he's an antisocial little cinnamon roll)**

 **Anyway! Thank you so much for giving this story a chance! I hope that you enjoyed it, and look forward to what I have to post in the future! Have a great day!** **(^_^)/~**


	2. Chapter 2 - Mad Dog Miike

**Chapter 2: Mad Dog Miike**

I liked animals. Especially the really fluffy ones. The problem was that they didn't tend to like me back. Sure, there was the occasional cat that didn't mind my presence, but most would either run away, or try and chase me off. Miike fell into the latter category. But that was fair. I mean, it was kind of his job. And he was pretty good at it. He's gotten me pretty good a couple of times in the past two months, but never bad enough that I couldn't bounce back from it. That angel girl, though... She doesn't look like she belongs in this kind of life. A fight with Miike might be fine for me, but what if he seriously hurts her? Or worse? What should I do? Should I help her? How? My book wasn't great for combat. Would I have to use-

Images flashed through my mind. A steel cage. Men in robes. A purple fog. That horrible rotting smell. So many screams. Stop, please stop, please stop, please-

"Kyaaa!" a light voice cried out. My eyes snapped open at the shout. I didn't realize I was clenching them shut, my hands shoved to my temples, like I was trying to force the images back where they came from. That was then, but this was now. That girl was alive, and was in danger. Could I really just stand by while something like that happened again?

My body seemed like it had the answer before my mind did, because without even thinking, I had already grabbed my spellbook, and swiped a few lacrima from the shelves. Why was I even hesitating in the first place? I should've just gone with her and helped her leave safely, but I was so unnerved by someone suddenly being there that I panicked and sent her on her way without thinking. I fought Miike before. I knew he was dangerous, and I still let the angel girl walk off alone, with the scent of blood on her. What was wrong with me today!? I was being a special kind of stupid!

I grunted as I hefted my backpack over my shoulder, having stuffed several repaired lacrima inside, and clenched my book tightly in my left hand as I sprinted out of my workshop. It was weird to suddenly be rushing into danger, after running away from it for so long. But usually I was the only one there. It made sense before. But... I remember something I was told, once. "People are basically chaos itself. Nothing we do makes sense." So I guess things had to change when someone else was thrown in the mix.

I followed the thuds of Miike's footsteps, hoping that he would be too focused on his prey to notice my arrival. He did have quite the grudge against me, now. To be honest, the second he noticed me, he'd probably give up his current hunt... While taking the attention off the angel girl would be nice, I needed to have stealth on my side if I wanted to stand a chance against Miike. I snapped my book open, the pages rushing by in a flurry. I flipped through page after page, skimming for any relevant term. Anything to do with any of the senses... Something that would make me harder to register... There. An odor concealer. Typically used on smelly garbage, and doesn't even eliminate the odor, only hides it under a new, blank odor until the original odor blends with it. If I was quiet, I'd be invisible until my first strike. I laid my hand on the page, uttering the triggering phrase of the enchantment. "Celare fetor tabescent," I whispered, being sure to pronounce each word properly. Other languages were annoying. Especially when it came to spellcasting. The text softly glowed a silver color, and I felt a soft breeze pass me by, layering my usual scent with an odor of nothing. I couldn't smell anything different, but my nose wasn't as sensitive as Miike's. This would do nicely.

The thuds were getting louder as I quietly maneuvered through the mounds of garbage. It wasn't hard to avoid making sound barefoot, so long as I avoided cutting my feet. And you pick up that skill pretty quick when you can't afford to buy shoes. I started to slow my pace, making sure I wasn't making a sound any louder than what Miike was dealing with. I could hear the angel girl as well, though she was mostly grunting and shouting in shock, likely trying to avoid the creature. Judging by her voice... The two of them were just over this mountain of trash. Carefully, I climbed my way up, trying to pick out the most stable places to step or grab. I nearly cried out as a sharp can lid gave me a pretty good sized cut across my palm. I had to pucker my lips as hard as I could to keep from letting out so much as a hiss. Wait... Blood? There was something bad about that, other than the obvious reason... But what was it?

Miike's thundering footsteps came to a halt. Huh? I could hear some very pronounced sniffing. It sounded like Miike caught a scent. Weird that he'd suddenly change focus while chasing down some prey. Doubly weird since he was supposed to be guarding this area. What could have gotten him to-

 _ **SMASH!**_

My mind went blank as I was suddenly launched from the mountain of trash I was climbing. I barely registered the freefall, mostly focusing on the deathgrip I had on my book before crashing into another trash mound, my back crying out in pain on impact. I wasn't sure just what I crashed into, but it wasn't soft. I slowly opened my eyes to see the terrifying sight of Mad Dog Miike.

If you've never seen a Minean Hellhound, consider yourself lucky. They're big. Not like an average dog kind of big, though. Their heads are level with a second story window. Their pelts are coats of short, black and brown fur, and they're rather slim for their size. All the better to chase their prey. And, of course, there were the traits that named their breed; their long, pointed devil tails, and the ram horns that curled from their skull. Miike's horns were sharpened at the tip to match his razor sharp claws, making him all the scarier. And his pearly white fangs and demonic yellow eyes weren't much better. Though, the giant red dog tag in the shape of a heart hanging from his neck kind of took away from his deadly appearance. The Boss really loved the big guy. And now, I was staring what was basically Death's pet dog in the face. Joy.

I felt the mountain of waste shift before I heard the telltale creaking. In a panic, I reached behind me and plucked a random lacrima from my pack, bringing out a light red orb of crystal. That should do. I threw the orb as hard as I could at the mutt's face, but he's learned from our previous fights and took the impact with one of his horns. The crystal shattered, unleashing an explosion of flame so strong that I could feel it heating up the metal around me!

I took my chance to pick myself out of the scrap heap, and leapt 10 feet down to the ground, but I nearly cursed when I didn't stick the landing. I felt my ankle twist as my right foot fell beneath my leg, and I crashed to the ground. Crap, crap, crap! Oh man, that hurts!

 _ **Grrr...**_

I looked up in fright at the hellhound that just recovered from a small explosion without so much as a scratch. This... Didn't look good for me. I reached behind me for another lacrima, only to suddenly notice the lack of weight I was carrying. I quickly glanced at the trash pile I left behind, and noticed my backpack hanging from an old pole. Only for it to be buried in the trash-alanche that I just sprained my ankle to avoid. Today was _not_ my lucky day...

As Miike crept towards me, ready to pounce, I quickly flipped through my book for any solution I could find. The sleep aid wasn't strong enough, language translation was useless, no point in disguising scent anymore- c'mon, c'mon! I frantically flipped through page after page, but it was pretty clear that I wouldn't find anything in time. Would I really have to resort to _that_ to get me out of this? No, I couldn't. But... He told me it was a last resort. And this is so or die! I can't. But I have to! But-!

"Light make: Ram!" a familiar voice shouted. Suddenly, a figure of pure gold charged into Miike's side, knocking him back into the same heap he threw me into earlier. The figure faded away before I could get a good look at it, but it looked a little like a goat with curly horns, like Miike. That... That was magic. An actual spell, casted by an actual wizard. I felt my heartbeat nearly double at the sight. Then, the very girl I had attempted to save crouched into my vision, a worried expression on her face. "Hey, are you alright? That big guy really did a number on you..." she said. This girl... She used magic. She was a wizard. But... she defended me? Why? Was it because I was trying to help her? But it didn't seem like she needed my help after all. When I took in her appearance, I noticed that she didn't have a scratch on her. Sure, there were some dirt marks, and the bottom of her dress was a little torn, but other than that, she looked perfectly fine. That's when I realized I still hadn't answered her question. I was getting really bad about that.

"I'm okay. I think I sprained my ankle," I responded. I think her eyebrow twitched a little at that.

"A sprain means you _aren't_ okay!" she shouted. Sheesh. Looks like Ms. Angel has a devil mode as well. Though she looked more worried than angry, actually. That didn't mean the shouting was less scary... She grabbed me under my arms to help me to my feet, and draped my left arm over her shoulders to help me walk. "We need to move while we can. That Minean Hellhound is dazed, but he won't be for long," she said, with the first serious look I've ever seen on her face. I just nodded and let her lead me. Of course, that was when the growling started up behind us.

I quickly shoved the angel away from me, leaving me to fall to the ground. That left us just enough room to dodge Miike's sneak attack, as he slid past where we were. There were even some skid marks in the dirt where we were standing. I quickly snapped open my book when a golden light appeared from the girl's direction. I looked over to see a golden magic circle had appeared in front of her. "Light make: Lion!" she shouted. Light shot forth from the circle, forming itself into a glowing, golden lion that shot straight towards Miike! It may have only been half its opponent's size, but it snarled, bit, and scratched at the hellhound, backing him up to another mound of waste. I felt that same blood rush I felt when she first cast a spell. I could practically feel my body pulsing in response to the magic in the air. I tried to ignore the rush as I looked for an accompanying spell to use... Ha!

"Plug your nose!" I shouted to the girl, turning my book to face towards Miike. "Jester's Perfume!" I casted, unleashing a green cloud at the guard dog just as the lion faded away. I pulled my shirt up to cover my nose just in case as the cloud surrounded Miike, creating a foul mix of scents, ranging from rotten eggs to a nasty bathroom. A harmless prank spell that was torturous to those with an enhanced sense of smell. I hobbled over to the girl, taking her hand as we ran through the junk piles. Well, she ran. I tried my best to keep up, but she had to keep supporting me. "Exit's up ahead. He won't follow past the fences," I told her. This junkyard was his territory. He was trained to defend it. The world suddenly felt even darker as a huge shadow loomed over us, and I shoved the girl to the ground (again) as Miike pounced over us (again). Only this time, he was guarding the way out. Sheesh, my luck today...

"You okay?" I asked the girl. She looked a little dazed, but nodded she was fine. So we were okay, for now. Not that that really meant much, when we couldn't get out of the place. Miike gave an intimidating glare as he crouched down, looking ready to charge with his horns pointed right at us. Hmm... "When he charges, we dodge to each side," I suggested. The girl immediately shook her head.

"Minean Hellhounds are praised for their mix of ferocity and agility. One of us might make it safely, but he wouldn't miss both," she explained. So she knew what Miike was? I only knew because I overheard the junkyard's boss talking about him.

"Do you know something that can help?" I asked. She looked hesitant at that, like she was trying to think of a way out. That look didn't last long, because Miike's rage finally peaked, and he charged forward. I quickly noticed that his horns were the perfect distance to hit both of us right now if we didn't move. But I couldn't dodge with my ankle.

"Light make: Turtle!" the girl shouted. I was suddenly faced with the underside of a giant turtle as Miike rammed directly into its hard light shell, trying his hardest to push forward. I felt that same, horrible rush as I witnessed the magic. I felt twitchy, like there was some creature inside that wanted to be freed. The caster was currently still holding up the magic circle, trying her hardest to keep the spell active and keep Miike at bay. "G-go on! Get out of here!" she grunted. Wait, what? "I can handle myself, but you're hurt, and you're not a mage! There's probably another exit, right? So go! I can handle him!" she shouted. What?

...why? Why did she even care? Why was she using magic to protect? Why did she even _want_ to protect? And why couldn't I help the sudden rush I felt flowing through my body? I've been so good at holding it back for years, so why now!? A loud crack sounded through the junkyard, and I looked up to see the light creature's shell had a large, bolt shaped crack running down it. It was about to fall. Miike would break through. I can't do anything, I _can't_ , but I have to, but-!

All thoughts came to a halt as the girl cried out, her magic circle failing as Miike finally broke through the turtle's defenses, leaving behind shards of light that faded to nothing. I couldn't think of anything. All I could feel was the rush of energy that I'd been feeling that whole night. The energy was practically overflowing, now... I think that small breeze I was feeling might have been coming from me. It was on instinct that I lifted up my arms the same way the girl did, as a silver magic circle appeared before me. This rush... All of the energy had pooled into my gut. It was burning. I had to let it out, somehow! Just once. Just once won't make me a monster. Right?

"Arcus Wall!" I shouted, my magic circle glowing even brighter. Suddenly, a giant wall of fluffy, white clouds appeared between us and Miike, the hellhound having gotten his horns stuck in the spell. I kept my hands up to maintain the spell, glancing over to see if the angel girl was still okay. She looked... Weird. Like she didn't really understand what just happened. But she seemed fine, otherwise. So that was good. I looked back at the wall to see the horns struggling, Miike trying his hardest to get himself free. I took a deep breath as I brought my hands in front of me again, my gaze turning deadly. "Morning Glory!" I shouted, shoving both hands through the magic circle I created. The wall suddenly threw itself forward at max speed, taking Miike with it as it pushed through the fence, sending the dog flying. The wall faded away as that terrible energy finally left me, leaving me panting and kneeling on the ground. It had been years since I had cast a spell with my own magic. Gods... What would Vin say if he saw me now?

"That was amazing!" a high voice shouted in my ear. Startled, I fell to the ground. The angel girl was coated in dirt, yet she had the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face, and it almost looked like she had stars in her eyes. "That wall must've softened the blow while acting as a solid enough surface to keep him restrained! And that follow up move was just so perfect! Are those abilities meant to work in a combination like that? Oh, what type of magic is that anyway? Sky magic? Cloud magic? I've never seen someone use it before! And-!" She suddenly cut her rant short when she saw my slightly scared expression. This girl... Talked really fast. "R-right, sorry. Let's, uh, let's get out of here, alright?" she said gently, offering her hand. I took it, and she helped me stand, then we walked/hobbled out of the junkyard, into the dirt roads just outside.

"There's a little cave a few minutes that way," I pointed out, nodding to the right. She adjusted her grip on my arm, then we were moving again. We walked mostly in silence. I guess she was still embarrassed at her little outburst, earlier. But I did appreciate it. It let me remain in my thoughts for once, and let me reexamine what just happened. And I could ask the important questions. For example: Just how far did I fling Miike?

* * *

I sighed in relief as the girl finally came back to the cave entrance with some firewood. It was starting to get really chilly in there. She quickly arranged them in preparation for a small campfire, and I brought out my book to help, having drawn some scribbles on the walls for light, earlier. "Illustrent semita," I muttered, the text quickly glowing silver before the wood was suddenly coated in a gentle flame. Ah... Some warmth. The girl shot me a questioning gaze as I huddled closer to the fire. "That spell turns on lights in a room. Light lacrima, torches, campfires, stuff like that. Helps with camping out," I explained. She nodded as she huddled in closer as well. We sat there in silence, enjoying the crackling fire, until I heard a frustrated groan.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous. We've spent half a day together, and I still don't know your name!" she huffed, looking at me with a pout. Oh. That was true, wasn't it?

"Oh, sorry. I guess I just thought 'angel girl' suited you pretty well," I explained. Then, for some reason, her face turned bright red and her jaw dropped like a drawbridge. Oh, no. Was she sick? Did that cut get infected after all?

"'A-angel girl?' That's what you... What you were calling me in your head!?" she stammered.

"Or 'the angel' or just 'girl.' Why, what were you calling me?" I asked, tilting my head. She quickly hugged her knees, and hid her face behind them, mumbling whatever answer she had. Her face still looked red. Wait, was she embarrassed? "I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked. She slowly lifted her head up, a little frown on her face.

"Er... Mostly 'weird guy' or 'junker.' And... Then I thought of you as a 'hero' when you kept saving me from that hellhound," she said, growing more quiet towards the end.

"Saving you? I mostly got batted around by that mutt," I grumbled, slowly rubbing my back. It still hurt from landing in that pile of scrap. The angel girl let out a light giggle.

"Well, maybe, but I was almost done for before he charged after you. And when my spell failed, you can't deny that you saved me, there. So! Can you finally give me your name, Mr. Hero?" she asked. I couldn't help the blush that hit my cheeks. Gods, what was wrong with my manners today? You're supposed to introduce yourself to new people when you meet them, genius! I should've said so back when I was leading her to the safehouse!

"My name is Fane. Nice to meet you, angel girl," I said. She got that red face again before she started yelling at me again.

"Would you cut that out! It's embarrassing!" she shrieked. So she _was_ embarrassed. But why? Was describing someone really all that embarrassing? Or did she have a thing about angels? "My name is Summer, so you can stop calling me that now, okay?" she clarified. Summer. Bright and warm, but sometimes a little _too_ warm for my tastes. Yeah, that name fit her pretty well. "I'm a little surprised you're talking this much. You looked all doom and gloom ever since we fought the hellhound," she pointed out.

"I'm just tired," I explained. "That fight took a lot out of me." It still felt like I ran a few miles, and then there were all the issues I had with... _that_ , too, so I was past exhausted. I wanted to just lie down and forget that whole encounter ever happened, but Summer seemed to have other ideas.

"Well, I can see why! Your magic is incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" she cheered. I... couldn't bring myself to look at her smile. "It must take a lot of energy to cast, if you were saving it up for that long in the fight. Maybe that's why the wall was so strong? Hey, how exactly does your... magic..." her voice petered out. I guess she saw my frown. I was staring at the ground when suddenly she ducked into view, my eyes meeting hers. "Okay, so what about your magic makes you upset?" she asked. I cringed a little at that. "You were only this upset after you used your magic in that fight, and just now, so that has to be it," she explained. Then she lifted up my chin, and sat normally in front of me again. "C'mon, you can tell me. You helped me, before. Let me help you," she spoke softly. I took in a deep breath and let it out. She wasn't going to let this go, was she?

"I don't like magic," I started. I glanced at her, but she just sat there silently, with a blank look on her face. I guess she needed more than that. "Magic is dangerous. Towns get destroyed, ships get sunk, and people get hurt, or... or worse. Even the 'good guys' do all of that stuff, too. It's scary, knowing that I have that same power inside of me," I admitted. Then I looked up to Summer again, seeing her wearing a sad smile. "And it was scary watching you use it, too."

"But we used our magic to protect ourselves," she reasoned. "We didn't destroy anything. Plus, everything in there was already kind of ruined in the first place, so..." she drifted off, trying to make a joke of it. But I couldn't really laugh. She just looked a little more concerned. "Well, what about that book? You used the spells from that without any problems, right?" she questioned.

"I'm okay with my book because it's all useless, boring spells. They're too simple to go haywire. It's natural magic that I'm scared of. The stuff that'll spiral out of control," I pointed out. I'd heard horror stories of the things that magic guilds were capable of. I didn't know what I'd do if I was faced with one of them. But, while I was terrified of magic, that didn't mean I couldn't still get some kind of benefit from it. If I've learned one thing on my own, it was to make use of everything you could get your hands on.

"Okay, I can understand that. But, you do see that magic isn't evil, right? It can do plenty of good, too," she defended. Good? "It's used to build cities, to make journeys, to heal the sick; there's so much that can be done with it! Magic is a beautiful thing that can make the impossible possible. You can't let something like that go to waste. It's _your_ magic. It doesn't have to be scary unless you want it to be," she spoke. There were some things that sounded true. Others sounded like a kid's story book. But it looked like she wasn't going to change her mind on that.

"Look, can we just both go to sleep? Tomorrow's going to be a rough day for me, sneaking back in the junkyard," I said, already lying back down on the stone floor. I was already beginning to drift off when Summer's voice woke me up again.

"Why would you go back there? That dog's going to try and kill you if you try," she said. I almost chuckled a little at that one.

"I've done it plenty of times. I go between the town and the junkyard every week or so. I just have to be careful about it," I explained. "Now go to bed, please." All of this talking was honestly starting to hurt my throat, a little. I took a deep breath as I tried to settle into a comfortable position, but Summer jostled my shoulder to keep me awake. I blearily looked up at her, trying my best to look annoyed. I wasn't very intimidating, apparently, since she kept shaking my shoulder. Sighing, I sat back up and rubbed my eyes.

"Do you live alone?" she asked, that blank look back on her face. The question threw me off a little bit, but I still managed to mumble out a yes. I went to lay back down, but her grip remained firm on my shoulder. She got a dead serious look in her eyes, and said something that would ring in my ears for the rest of my life.

"Come with me," she said. It was unexpected, how hard that hit me. I physically felt like something just slammed into my chest. But why? Why would something so simple and so ridiculous matter to me? It was just a possibly crazy girl asking me to follow her around. But... At least it was someone. Someone that took time to get to know me. To understand me. Maybe that was it? Maybe I finally found a friend? I... Don't think I've actually had one, before. Did Vin count? I wasn't sure...

"Where?" I found myself asking. That sentimental moment was immediately ruined as her determined expression suddenly collapsed into an embarrassed smile, and she twiddled her thumbs, not able to meet my eyes.

"Uh, hehehe... I don't really have a "where" in mind... I'm actually looking for something, but nobody really knows where to find it, so I've just been wandering," she explained. No destination. Was this supposed to be one of those "it's all about the journey" types of things? I guess that kind of explained her random appearance in the junkyard. If it's some kind of antique or something, maybe somebody threw it out without knowing what it was.

"And what are you looking for?" I asked, curious. Her eyes sparkled with excitement at the question, which actually got me a little nervous. I was learning to expect her outbursts, at least.

"Fairies!" she cheered, with a smile that practically lit up the room. And there goes my previous thought. It made no sense why she would look in a junkyard. "It's my dream to find one! And I know for a fact that they're real, too, so I have no doubt that I can find them!" she said passionately, clenching her fist. I had a feeling that she would go on another one of her endless rants if I didn't stop her now, so I had to interrupt.

"So... You want me to leave behind everything I know to follow you on a hunt for a mythical creature?" I asked, needing to make sure I had everything right.

"Yeah, pretty much!" she said cheerfully. Well, at least the girl was honest. "Well, it's a little more than that. I want to be your friend! But I can't really do that if you stick around here. And since you're alone and all, I thought you'd like some company. Maybe help you break out of that antisocial shell of yours!" she explained. Could I really just suddenly leave with this girl I barely knew? Sure, she was nice, and it was interesting to have someone to talk to, even if she did disagree with my views on magic, but... I still had something I needed to do. A person to find. And I couldn't exactly do that while travelling with her.

...or could I?

"...okay," I finally answered. This... This could be good. I would've just hired a top mercenary guild to look for him, but this way I could search myself while Summer escorted me. Plus, I was planning on leaving this town, soon, anyway. Now I actually had a good reason to leave.

"REALLY!?" Summer shrieked in my ears. Gods... How was she not completely burned out when it was this late? I held up a hand before she could go into her motormouth mode.

"But, I have something that I'm looking for out there, too. So, how about this? If you promise to help me find who I'm looking for, I promise to help you find a fairy," I said, holding out a pinky towards her. She looked at my hand and started to laugh, for some reason.

"Aw, it's like I'm a little girl again!" she giggled. Wait... Were pinky promises not a common thing, anymore? Crap.

"I-It's the only way I know to make sure it's a strong promise," I explained, my cheeks growing more and more red with each word. Summer clearly tried to hold back her giggles, but they only seemed to be getting stronger. I gave her a flat look, and she finally started to calm down a little.

"Okay, okay. I promise," she said, wrapping her pinky around my own.

* * *

 **Author's Note: *Slams 5,000+ words right in your face* Woo! Got it done! Actually, this chapter's been done for a few days, but I wasn't sure about how well I voiced Fane's fear of magic, so I've been tweaking it on and off until I found it to my liking. So, yeah, now we get the names for Fane and Summer, this story's dynamic duo! The best buds, the terrible two, the awesome amigos, the- okay, I'll stop now.**

 **Anyway, any opinions on the characters? Or questions about their magic? Go ahead and leave a review or a PM! Who knows, maybe I'll get the next chapter out faster with some encouragement! *wink wink nudge nudge***

 **Oh, and thank you for the follows/favorites! That's so awesome to see on the very first chapter! (Actually, the very first reader favorited the story immediately. I love you. You're amazing. Actually the best.)**

 **Hope you're all having a wonderful day/night, and if not, then know I'm rootin' for ya! Kick the next day's butt!** **(∩`ω´) ⊃))**


	3. Chapter 3 - 276 Days of Summer (Part 1)

**Chapter 3: 276 Days of Summer (Part 1)**

I learned one thing very quick about living with Summer. That I underestimated just how much energy she'd have. I had only seen her after a long week of travel with little to no sleep. When we awoke in the cave the next morning, I had an entirely new person to deal with. The worst kind of person.

A morning person.

"Get up, get up, Fane! We've got places to go! People to see!" Summer cheered, gently nudging my side. So, of course, I just rolled over and tucked further into myself. The day doesn't start until _I_ say it starts. "Fane... Don't make me wake you up. You're not going to like it," she warned. Whatever. There wasn't much I did like, these days. I screwed my eyes shut as Summer sighed above me. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you. Light make: Cat!" she casted. Suddenly I felt little jolts of energy shoving themselves into me, poking and prodding, stinging my skin, and holy _crap_ that was annoying!

"I'm up, I'm up! Just stop!" I pleaded, trying to bat away whatever construct Summer made this time. I managed to figure out a little about her magic last night when I was trying to sleep. She creates animals out of pure light, and has set each animal for a specific purpose. And apparently, she had the time to create a spell specifically made to annoy people. Wonderful.

I sighed in relief as the prodding finally stopped, though Summer pulled me up to a sitting position before I could try nodding off again. "I told you you wouldn't like it," she tutted. My answer was an annoyed glare. Probably a six out of ten on the "death glare" scale. I was too tired to put up much more of a fight. "Jeez, you sleep like the dead," Summer teased, moving to clean up our little campsite.

I must've been absolutely bonkers for deciding to follow this girl.

* * *

 **Day 1**

I remembered why I decided to stick around that town for so long as Summer and I traveled down the dirt path. It was the only thing around for miles and miles. We were travelling along a trade road that winded through a huge plain of grass, with nothing, not even a single tree, in sight. We both kept our eyes glued on the horizon, hoping to see... Well, _something_.

A sudden sigh to my right brought my thoughts back to my new... Friend? I still didn't really know what we were. It took time to be friends, right? I mean, she said she wanted to be friends, but- "Hmm... You know, maybe we should've stopped by your workshop before we left. You have stuff there that we can use, right?" Summer asked, interrupting my thoughts. Right, right, I could think about that stuff later. I needed to stop getting trapped in my head. She had a point. I did have some supplies there, but...

"Most of it was in that bag I had with me. And that got crushed under a huge pile of scrap," I pointed out. That was most of my remaining lacrima, some first aid supplies, and a few scraps of cloth. There really wasn't much left in my workshop, now, except for those shelves I made.

"Oh... Well, I guess we'll be relying on you, then!" she cheered. Wait... What? I shot her an incredulous look, but Summer's smile only grew bigger. "You're some kind of an inventor, right? Then you can make us all kinds of useful stuff so we can travel easier!" she explained. An inventor? Where did she get that from?

"I don't invent stuff. I collect things and fix 'em," I corrected. That didn't deter her, though.

"Still, that's super genius person type stuff! So, if we find anything useful, I'll just pass it off to you," she said, skipping ahead of me on the dirt trail. I stumbled a bit as I tried to keep up. It was already noon, and this girl hadn't lost even a drop of enthusiasm. How did she manage to always stay so high energy? Was it something to do with that light magic of hers?

...also, did she just say that I would be carrying everything?

* * *

 **Day 7**

"Thank the gods, we finally made it!" Summer shouted, the both of us dropping to our knees in exhaustion. The cobblestone hurt, but who cares? We finally made it _somewhere_. We practically sprinted the whole way here as soon as we say the buildings on the horizon. I completely forgot what the name of the town was, but there were people, and food, and buildings, and trees, and just so many things that weren't grass! I almost felt like I was going to cry. Actually, I'm pretty sure Summer really was crying. "Civilization, how I've missed you!" she bawled. Yep.

Eventually, Summer and I dragged ourselves out of the road, and we sat in the shade of a brick building. Shade... Another luxury I missed. I lazily glanced over at Summer to see her shaking an overturned pouch with a frown. "You got any Jewel on you?" Summer asked, sending me a hopeful glance.

"Nope," I answered. All of my money was already invested in my project. I could probably reduce the budget a little and help us out... But who's to say that my search with Summer would actually pan out? No, I had to keep that money where it was.

"Whelp, time to resort to begging," Summer pouted, opening up her pouch and plopping it in front of the two of us.

"Umm... Do you need to buy something?" I asked. We were supposed to be searching, not begging for money. We didn't need money to look around, did we?

"A couple of nights at an inn. Hopefully one that serves complimentary meals. Or at least one," Summer explained. Well that was a waste. We slept on the ground plenty of times these past few days and managed fine. And if we had to a little gathering for food, so what? We were in a town, now. Restaurants threw out plenty of perfectly good food at the end of the night. She was probably spoiled.

"You can beg. I'm gonna go looking," I said, painfully getting up from my seat in the shade. Man, days of constant walking really took their toll on you... Ah, well, what could you do when you were travelling with a crazy person?

* * *

 **Day 13**

I tried my best to blend into the crowd as I walked, hoping nobody would notice me. Act natural, and nobody would suspect anything. Just a little further. Just a little further, and I was home free. Summer should be right around- wait, that giant crowd of people wasn't there before.

I slowly squeezed my way through the mass of people who cheered at the various bright flashes coming from the center of them all. Ah, so Summer was "begging" again. Maybe I should just come back later? Or maybe I could blend into this crowd? They wouldn't expect a thief to stay still, would they? But, no, I wasn't a thief. Nobody needed these books. Nobody wanted these books. Really, they were free for the taking. Yeah. It was fine. Especially when I was going to put them to good use. Well, eventually. I _really_ needed to organize my book, somehow...

I didn't notice that I kept moving through the crowd until I saw the end of one of Summer's tricks; having her lion do various commands while her cat performed those same actions standing on top of the lion. Wait, no... I think that "Regal" was the lion and "Pandora" was the cat? For some reason, Summer decided to name all of her constructs. I think the ram was named "Chief," but I completely forgot what she named her turtle. Suddenly, the two creatures bowed, and disappeared in a flurry of light that got the crowd cheering, Summer bowing and holding her pouch out for Jewel. Only a few people actually coughed up, though. Figures. Summer caught my eye, and gave me a big smile before addressing the crowd. "Alright, everybody, that's it for today's show! I'll be out here the same time tomorrow, so come again!" she shouted. There was some applause, and a few disappointed mumbles ("I wanted to see her dance with the monkey again..."), but the crowd eventually dispersed. Once they were gone, Summer ran up to me, practically hopping in place. "So, so, did you find anything at the library?" she questioned. Right. That's why I was here.

"Nothing on fairies in the non-fiction section. But I did get myself a few new books to work with," I said, showing off the three books in my arms. At that, Summer frowned with a hand on her hip. Uh oh.

"You know, you really should stop taking those. We're mages, not criminals. We can buy those just fine," she lectured, pointing right in my face. I crossed my eyes trying to look at it.

"Pointing is rude," I said plainly. Summer just huffed, frowning harder.

"So is stealing, you little thief!" she countered. I was _not_ a thief! I wasn't a villain! I've been trying so hard, you stupid, hardheaded motormouth!

"So is arguing with someone that will actually put up with you and your crazy!" I spat back. I don't know where those words came from... Summer turned away from me, but I could see that I hurt her. Good. I was trying to. But... But why was _I_ hurting after saying it? We didn't really talk to each other for the rest of that day. That was our first fight. It... kept hurting, for some reason. Well, no, it felt more like I was empty, and constantly falling down. I didn't want that happening again. We didn't really talk about it again, after. But I didn't take anymore books. I even stayed to help with her shows some days. But the hurt was still there. What was I supposed to do?

* * *

 **Day 21**

Okay, this had to work. This had to make her happy again, right? It's been a week, and not seeing Summer smile was getting annoying. That was her, that's what she was supposed to do. I knew what I did wrong, and I fixed it, like I was supposed to, but she was still sad. She was still talking, and doing her shows, and was still... Excited, but not excitable? She wasn't being the Summer that got me out here in the first place. And I knew that was because of what I said, and I know that was wrong, but I don't want to say anything that would make this worse, and I had absolutely no clue on how I was supposed to fix this. Gods, I hoped that woman at the store was right about giving presents to girls. She said I was supposed to get flowers, but I wasn't sure if Summer liked flowers. All I really knew was that she loved fairies.

I clutched my peace offering close to my chest as I wandered slowly through the crowd. She should've finished up her show by now, so... There she was. Counting out her earnings. Hopefully it was enough to stay at that inn again. Then again, we probably had to move on, soon. This place didn't have anything we were looking for. And, luckily, we actually had the chance to gather some resources before we left this time.

No! Stop avoiding the situation! You have a peace offering, Fane. _Give. It. To. Her._ I took a deep breath before poking Summer's shoulder, getting her attention. She smiled, as usual, but it wasn't as big. It was gentle, which was nice, but I knew it was my fault it wasn't at 100 percent. "Um... Hey," I greeted. Good. Starting strong. You can work with this, Fane.

"Hi," she said back. Okay. A conversation. I could do this. Just... Speak what's on your mind. Well, the relevant stuff, at least. Or should I just start with the present? Or maybe- No! Stop it!

"I- uh... Here!" I shouted, holding out a hardcover book. It wasn't very long, and the pages were starting to turn yellow, but the title caught my attention. _Fairy Tales_. Summer had to like this, right? Summer slowly took it, but she looked pretty confused. "You, um, y-you really like fairies, and you get in that excited mood of yours, and I know you've been down, so I thought this could help, since I miss you being all excited, and-" My ramblings stopped when Summer put a finger to my lips, carrying that same gentle smile she had before. But... It was weird. It didn't feel like this was less, like the other one. This was more genuine. Why?

"You do realize that a book of fairy tales isn't about fairies, right?" she asked. What!? Oh no, that was my only shot! "Haha! Fane, haven't you ever heard the saying 'don't judge a book by it's cover'?" she teased. I just dropped my head and stared at the ground. No. I hadn't. I was intending to just stare at the ground until it decided to suck me up and save me from my embarrassment, but Summer crouched into my view. "Don't be like that. I heard the rest of what you said, so... I know what this gift was supposed to be. Thank you, Fane. I love it," she said. Then she frowned and stood up straight. Oh no, what did I do wrong now? "Well, I'll love it if you _paid_ for it. You did get this legally, right?" she questioned, a hand on her hip.

"Y-yeah! This was completely legitimate!" I said frantically, waving my arms ahead of me. I'd been rummaging through trash cans for the past few days trying to find some lacrima I could repair. I had to run from some annoyed citizens at times, but I eventually got some good enough to sell. I began to sweat as Summer still glanced suspiciously at me. Then she finally broke into that smile I'd been working so hard to see again.

"Alright! All is forgiven. On both sides. Now, come on. We're gonna miss dinner at the inn if we don't make our payment soon!" she called out as she dropped her new book into her pouch, then grabbed my hand as she marched towards the inn. There we go. Now everything was back to normal. Well, normal with Summer, at least.

* * *

 **Day 41**

"Alright, favorite color," Summer called out from the front of the covered wagon. Okay, at least her questioning was easy, for the day. We had been doing this whenever we got bored. She would start a volley of questions to help us get to know each other better. We kind of figured out that we were really still strangers after our fight, so Summer decided she'd do her best to know everything about me. " _I did say I was going to be your friend, after all,"_ was her reasoning. And I knew better than to argue against her by this point.

"Blue," I answered, hoping my voice didn't startle the horses she was guiding. Summer suggested we work the occasional caravan to earn money and travel easier, but the first couple didn't work out very well... Now I was restricted to waiting with the cargo, and keeping my voice down, or else our charges would get spooked by me. Yet they were always fine with Summer's excitability, for some reason. Why did animals have to hate me?

"So typical of a boy! Mine's orange," she replies, soothing a horse with the occasional stroke to their neck. I guess one of 'em was almost spooked anyway. "Okay... Oh, this one's been bothering me for a while. Why don't you wear shoes?" she asked. Man, I thought she was just going to settle for yes/no questions today...

"Waste of Jewel. They're expensive, and I had other things that I had to put money towards," I answered. She still didn't know about my stash of money, or what I was using it for. I wasn't letting her anywhere near that money. She was absolutely careless with it, and wanted to buy whatever caught her eye. Her light laugh brought me back to reality.

"You're doing that thing again. Thinking too much," she pointed out. Summer had apparently figured out my "thinking face" as she put it. I (regretfully) asked her to help me stop getting trapped in my own head. I couldn't let that happen too much if I was going to take this search seriously. "Anyway, I just thought it was weird. My mom's the only other person I've seen go barefoot 24-7," she said, turning her gaze back to the road. Her mom?

"Your mom goes barefoot, too?" I asked. This was new. She's never really mentioned her family before. At first I thought she might've been alone, like I was, but that wouldn't make sense. Not with her clothes, or her standards. She's used to some comfort. I guess she was well provided for, then.

"Oh yeah, my mom is kind of weird about shoes. It's like she forgets they even exist, sometimes. My dad swears that she must do it on purpose, but they tend to walk in grassy areas, anyway, so she's usually fine. Otherwise, dad's always willing to give her a piggyback ride. They're really cute when they do stuff like that," she said, a nostalgic smile on her face. Though I had one very important question.

"Piggyback rides are cute?" I asked. I thought it was mostly just to help out someone who was tired, or their feet hurt. What was cute about carrying someone?

"Well, duh!" she said, like it was some really obvious fact. I just blinked at that.

"Oh. Okay," I said. You learn something new everyday, I guess. And I've been learning a lot of interesting things in my travels with Summer, so far.

"I miss them, you know? It's been about half a year since I left home," Summer told me. I immediately straightened up, paying as much attention as possible. This felt important. "I kind of want to go home sometimes, but... There's just so much out here, in the world. So many places, and people, and animals I want to see. And I knew I couldn't see it all if I was cooped up at home in my little village," she explained. So she was a little homesick? I hadn't thought about my own home in... I didn't even know how long. Vin was the more pressing concern. How long has it been since I saw him? Almost ten years, now? Wait, no, stop thinking! This is important! "That's part of why I want to find a fairy, I think. They're about as magical and mysterious as you can get. Maybe I'll go home after I find one. Briefly, at least," she said. Home, huh? Right... She was going to leave one day. "Of course, not right away. I still have a promise to keep, after all," she said, looking back at me with a goofy, closed eye smile. I didn't really know what that meant, though. She was still going to leave after that, right? She didn't really have a reason to stay. Did I want her to stay? I wasn't really sure how I felt. So I just said the first thing that came to mind.

"Please keep your eyes on the road," I said, trying to hide my uncertainty. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me before turning around and taking up the reins again. I had to try really hard to hold in a chuckle at that. I realized that it's been a long time since I've really laughed.

Maybe I wasn't so crazy for following her, after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I know that this chapter is shorter than the last two, but I felt like that was a pretty good stopping point. Otherwise, I'd be dragging this out to double the length in one chapter, which is WAY too long! So, I decided that splitting up this little bonding journey of theirs into two chapters was the best way of handling it.**

 **As for the decision to do time skips... Well, I was thinking about how these two are going to head to Fairy Tail. And I figured that 1) Fane would NEVER follow Summer to a magic guild with his current mind set, so a good amount of bonding time between the two is necessary. And 2) they're both relatively weak with their magic, right now. Or at least, using it in combat situations. So I figured that I'd give Summer some time to work on her combat, and Fane on recollecting those resources he lost last chapter.**

 **Anyway, what do you guys think of this little fluffy chapter? Do you like the character dynamics so far? Or at least the characters themselves? Go ahead and let me know!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day! And if not, I suggest throwing some PJ's in the dryer, taking a hot shower, and relaxing in said warm PJ's with some Disney or a good book. Or fan fiction. That works too.**


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